Shannon Whirry

Shannon Whirry was of the most popular erotic thriller actresses of the 1990s. Born in Green Lake, Wisconsin. While her career might have climaxed in the 90s, Whirry nevertheless continues to work in local theaters up until today. From direct-to-tv videos to movies to TV shows, Shannon Whirry left an indelible mark upon the 1990s late night cable scene.

In the 1990s, the thriller and comedy movie trend was on the rise, giving movie enthusiasts a new genre to appreciate. This also gave movie rental businesses alternatives to offer their customers when high demand box office movies were out of stock, and that in turn gave movie producers a new way to gain a high return on investments with minimal effort. It also filled the gap people had when they wanted to watch something of the more racier side but were not willing to fully commit to watching porn.

She got her start in off-Broadway productions, and made her debut in Steven Seagal’s “Out For Justice” as ‘Terry Malloy’, a cocktail waitress.

Her entrance into the film world coincided with the rise of softcore films. These would become cash cows as producers could invest as little money as possible. The main financial outlay was getting a beautiful actress on board. Shannon Tweed became the first star of the erotic thriller genre while Whirry caught up fast. Soon there was a rivalry between the two Shannons for the same roles.

In 1992, Gregory Dark held auditions for his then-upcoming erotic thriller movie “Animal Instincts.” Whirry would win the part for the lead female role of Joanna Coles. The direct-to-video movie marked the first major role Whirry would ever take on, and it hit all the right checkboxes. “Animal Instincts” followed a married couple who decided to spice things their relationship through voyeuristic adventures after the husband realizes he has certain “proclivities.”Inadvertently, the couple gets in trouble when Joanna Coles gets involved in an affair with a mobster. The movie would become a cult classic and Whirry would become a hit among viewers. Fans wanted more to see more of her acting…and her curvaceous figure so a sequel was made two years later.

Whirry would go on to star in numerous other popular erotic titles. In 1995, she portrayed ‘Jill’ in “Fatal Pursuit”. She plays a self assured woman investigating a high profile diamond robbery and is partnered with a gruff ex-cop turned private investigator that doesn’t take no for an answer.

Another collaboration with Gregory Dark found her in “Body Of Influence. This erotic thriller takes you on a sultry journey of a woman seeking help from a famous psychiatrist trying to recall her forgotten past and in the process takes down every barrier he has up.

Though Shannon saw massive success in the erotic movies popular in the 90s, she had higher ambitions. Whirry’s career could be divided into two phases, and while the transition was gradual it was nonetheless identifiable. The late 1990s saw Shannon move away from her softcore b-movie roles and into the mainstream. Moreover, The demand for soft core movies waned in the late 90s in the face of cable TV that now started incorporating more and more nudity and sex scenes. This forced many of the soft core stars to turn to mainstream media or fade away to obscurity.

Increasingly aggressive with her transition, Whirry started making numerous guest appearances in TV series such as Seinfeld, Frasier and ER. During that era she also made one her most notorious appearances: her cameo in the Jim Carrey movie “Me, Myself and Irene” as the “beautiful mother.” The scene blew up and became controversial and is probably what she is most famously known for by the general public nowadays.

It was more than individual roles or famous scenes that were responsible for a successful career; Whirry’s popularity and success were multi-faceted. Attributing her success to her acting skills or sexual appeal alone would be misguided. In fact, Shannon’s popularity was almost a phenomenon. It was that everything aligned up perfectly for Shannon, and she definitely did not let it slip her grasp. The 1990s were both the prime of erotic thrillers and its downfall. Softcore movies and straight-to-videos were in high demand during the early 90s, yet near the end of the decade the market was oversaturated and new media was on the rise.When Whirry entered the scene, it was hungry for new talent. Her figure and sexual appeal caught on very well with the audiences; however, that was not Shannon’s only asset. With her background training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Whirry had a firm grasp on her art not just on what sold best.

With cult classic roles such as Laura from “Body of Influence” and Joanna Coles from “Animal Instincts”, Shannon Whirry cemented her status as one of the most remarkable names of the 90s erotic thrillers. And while her heyday is long since gone, Shannon still does local theater now, living a much less crowded life in Arizona with her husband.